We are not the only ones who deport

As an observer of the Mexican political scene, and someone who has done business across international borders, I know first hand about how other countries enforce immigration laws. In fact, I have always been impressed with how serious immigration laws are regarded across the globe. In other words, I always treated immigration laws as something to be respected not something that my company would avoid or treat lightly.

In virtually any other country, the deportation of aliens who have overstayed their visas or who are working in the underground economy might merit a brief mention in the newspaper.

Deporting aliens who have committed serious crimes is understood in most nations to be a necessary duty of the state, like sanitation or the licensing of medical professionals. Nobody thinks twice about deporting criminals in these countries, and immigration enforcement is an uncontroversial aspect of national life.

Canada — often cited by progressives as a model of civilized multiculturalism — deports aliens at almost twice the rate that the U.S. does. Between 2006 and 2014,

Canadian immigration authorities deported, on average, 35 people per day, or about 13,000 annually.

The United States, with nine times the population of Canada, removed about 65,000 illegal aliens from within the borders of the country in 2016.

My own personal experience supports this:

1) I worked legally in Mexico for a U.S. company under an FM-2, or a work visa. The document clearly said in black and white that I had to carry this document in case I had to prove to the Mexican authorities that I was legally in the country. It did not happen to me but I heard a story of a business friend whose wife was involved in a car crash and had to prove her status. To be fair, the insurance company settled the matter satisfactorily but her immigration status was part of the process.

2) I took several business trips to Venezuela and Panama. My lawyer made it very clear that I had to get a “business visa” rather than a “tourist visa”. Why? Because I could find myself in trouble if I was doing business as a tourist. What was the difference? It was more costly to get a business visa but it was a safer route.

It is very surprising for me to hear all the outrage from Democrats and their friends in the media, about these raids underway. In many cases, the people being arrested are engaged in criminal behavior while others who have refused to obey a court order.

As Mr. Barron points out:

The indignation of activists and progressive politicians about the enforcement of our immigration laws is perhaps predictable, but acquainting themselves with global norms regarding legal migration and deportation might help keep their blood pressure under control.

So how did we get here? I place the blame for this confusion on the Obama administration and their politicization of immigration laws. It was shameful and a correction is desperately needed!